Personal and Professional
by CanadianChick07
Summary: Detective Jamie Lovato liked to keep her personal and professional lives completely separate, however there was a certain detective who wanted to change her opinion on that matter. But Jamie's been gone for 17 months and still trying to adjust to the life as a Homicide Detective.
1. Chapter 1

**This is my first venture into CSI NY fandom. I just happened to watch this past episode with Detective Lovato, so I went back and watched all of season 9. All I have to say- it's about dang time they give Flack a love interest! I really do like this new Jamie ccharacter, even if she is a lot alike Jess. **

* * *

Jamie Lovato was intent on powering through her paperwork. She never much was one for paperwork and there seemed to be even more paperwork involved, in homicide. Didn't help that Flack did absolutely not do his fair share of the paperwork, leaving Jamie to do it all.

And then she heard a voice and it made her put her pen down. "Auntie Jamie!" Luckily she had enough time to prepare herself as her four year old niece threw her body at Jamie, wrapping her arms around her aunt.

"It's so good to see you, baby," Jamie said, as her niece pulled back.

"Auntie Jamie, I never want you to leave again," now there were tears coming down the four year old's face.

Jamie rocked her. "I promise I won't leave for that long again. Remember what I told you before I left?"

"I love you?"

She nodded. "I love you. More than anything, Amelia."

Somehow that answer satisfied Amelia. "I love you too, Auntie."

Jamie looked up to see her sister-in-law, Dina Lovato standing beside her desk, smile in her face. "Dina," Jamie said warmly. "I'd hug you, but," Jamie motioned to the bundle she had on her lap, refusing to let go.

Dina smiled. "She missed you."

"I can tell," Jamie laughed, looking around the bull pen and finding Flack just walking in. "What are you doing here?"

Her sister-in-law looked around. "Amelia wanted to come. I wasn't sure if it was a good time. Heck I wasn't sure where your new precinct was."

Jamie smiled. "It's always a good time for my favorite niece," which got a giggle out of Amelia, who continued to bury her head in her aunt's shoulder.

Flack was standing by the desk. "Lovato. You didn't answer your phone. I was waiting outside."

She motioned to Amelia. "Kinda busy, Flack. Meet my sister-in-law, Dina. Dina, meet my new partner, Detective Don Flack."

Flack nodded at Dina. "Nice to meet you, Dina."

"And this is my most favorite niece in the world, Amelia," Jamie continued. "Baby, are you going to say, hi?"

Shyly, Amelia lifted her head up and looked at Don. "Hi."

"Hi, Amelia," Don said, crouching down to the four year olds level. "I know that she's your favorite auntie, but I need to borrow her for a minute."

"No. I don't share Auntie Jamie. She's all mine," Amelia said, defiantly.

All the adults got a chuckle out of that. "Come on Amelia. Auntie Jamie is at work," Dina said, hoisting Amelia off of Jamie's lap.

Jamie stood up and walked closely to Dina's side. "I'll come by for dinner. I promise."

Dina lifted an eyebrow. Although Jamie was a stickler for punctuality, the promises she made for dinner, usually didn't happen. Dina recognized it was a hazard of the job. Unfortunately, Amelia didn't.

She laughed. "I will try my absolute best."

Flack nodded. "I'll make sure she gets there."

Amelia looked up at Auntie Jamie. "When I am going to see you next? In a couple months?"

That broke Jamie's heart. She had hoped Amelia had been too young to understand that Auntie Jamie wasn't going to be around for awhile, and not notice, but apparently she did. "Amelia. I'll see you this week. I promise," Jamie said. That was a promise she could make.

"Okay," Amelia answered and Dina smiled at Flack and Lovato and dragged Amelia out of the precinct.

Flack crossed his arms. "You didn't tell me you had a niece who is a dead ringer for you, Lovato."

"I don't tell you a lot of things. We have a new case?"

He nodded. "Yeah. Somewhere on the West Side. Do you want to drive?" Flack never let her drive. Ever.

Jamie laughed. "That your way of trying to make me feel better?"

"Is it working?"

"Not really," Jamie answered.

Flack didn't really say anything until they were half way to the crime scene, Lovato content at looking out the window. "You want to talk about it?"

"Not really."

"First time your niece has seen you since you've been back?" Flack asked.

Lovato nodded. She didn't really want to speak anymore on the matter, especially with her new partner. They may have had a "thing" going, but Jamie was nowhere near ready to let him in on her personal and family life. She wasn't even going to go there. And if she had it her way, Flack wouldn't have met Dina or Amelia for a very, long time. She was the type of person who wanted her professional and personal life very separate. Although, a certain detective was trying to change her mind on the matter but Jamie was stubborn and she wasn't completely willing to let that line cross. Yet.

* * *

Flack made good of his promise and made Jamie head to her brother and sister-in-law's place at six. She pulled up to the drive and remembered the last time she was here. It had only been 3 weeks ago but so much had changed since then. Three weeks ago she was still Anita. Now she was just Auntie Jamie.

Knocking was not needed and Jamie walked into the house. Her brother, Mario, was watching TV, Dina was in the kitchen, Amelia in the living room and her nephew, Alex, in his highchair.

Mario noticed her first and got up off the couch. "Amelia, guess who's here," he said in Spanish.

Amelia got up and walked around the couch and noticed Jamie. Once again, Jamie prepared herself for the onslaught but still winced as Amelia crashed into her. "You're here, Auntie Jamie!"

"I am, baby doll," Jamie said. She crossed over to where Mario was and gave her brother a huge hug. "It's been awhile."

"You mean to say that it's been 18 months since I've seen you in the daylight," Mario joked.

Jamie winced. "Sorry about that."

Dina came over to where Jamie and Mario were standing. "He meant to say that you are always welcome here. Even if it is 3 in the morning."

After Benny told her that he knew she was a cop in that bar, Jamie panicked. It had been 1 in the morning. She had nowhere to go. No boyfriend, no partner to call up. The only family she had was Mario and Dina. After driving around for 2 hours, she ended up inside the house. She knew where the spare key was hidden and where the blankets were kept. She had only planned on crashing on the couch, leaving before Mario left for work. But the baby had woken up Mario and he came into the kitchen, to see Jamie making herself a sandwich.

"Of all the people that could be in the kitchen at 3 in the morning, I certainly didn't expect you," Mario said.

Jamie laughed. "I guess Rafael would have been a more likely suspect."

Mario raised his eyebrow. "You didn't hear?"

"I've been back for 3 weeks, Mario. Hear what?"

Her brother rolled his eyes. "Rafael got popped again."

All Jamie did was sigh. Predictable. Rafael was nothing but predictable. Getting busted was one of his normal routines and there was nothing that Jamie or Mario could do about it. Nothing. And they had washed their hands of him. Just like their oldest brother, Armando.

She then turned her attention to the toddler in the highchair. Her nephew who she had never met. Again, hazards of the job. Dina picked up Alex and looked at Jamie. "Alex, that's your Auntie Jamie. That's who Amelia has been talking about."

Alex just giggled so Dina just handed him over to Jamie and she kissed his blonde head. She did laugh, he definitely looked like Dina, whereas Amelia was definitely Latina. "You are so cute," Jamie cooed at him.

"He's such a happy baby. Nothing like little miss Amelia," Dina commented. Amelia had not been an easy baby. Actually that was an understatement. Amelia was the baby from hell, honestly, and Jamie would not have blamed Mario and Dina for stopping at one. However, as Dina explained, birth control never worked 100% of the time.

Mario grunted. "She's turning into you, everyday," he directed towards Jamie. "I'm scared. I don't want my daughter turning into you."

"Hey, I'm a good role model," Jamie defended. "There's worse people she could be like."

He shrugged. "Actually, she's more like Armando. But we don't like making that connection, so we say she reminds us of you."

"Awe, how sweet," Jamie said sarcastically at Mario. "What's for dinner? I am seriously starving."

Dina raised an eyebrow. "Jamie Lovato. When was the last time who had a decent meal?"

Jamie had to think. 3 weeks ago. Benny had made her dinner and it had been very good. "A long time ago," she admitted. "I'm glad to be back."

"We're glad to have you back," Mario said. "Amelia definitely missed you."

"I missed her."

Dina returned to chopping up vegetables. "So, Jamie, your new partner?"

"What about him?"

"Anything going on between you two?"

Jamie's mouth dropped as Alex squirmed in her arms. She put him back in the highchair. "What makes you think there is anything?"

Dina laughed. "Call it a woman's intuition."

Mario looked between his wife and sister. "What partner? What guy do I have to go beat up now?"

"I think I can take care of myself, Mario," Jamie reminded him. She had taken care of herself for 17 months, where nobody trusted her and she could trust nobody else. That wasn't completely true, she trusted Benny to a degree. But she was glad she was back in her old life where she could trust the people around her and they loved her unconditionally, even if she did vanish for 17 months.

* * *

**Thoughts?**


	2. Chapter 2

**This one just kind of wrote itself...**

* * *

Everyone had baggage. That was life. It was a matter of finding somebody to help you unload your baggage. For Jamie, her baggage was her family and her less than stellar family connections. The Lovato family had serious connections to some gangs in South Florida and recently New York. She was determined to not let her past catch up to her future but sometimes in life you don't have a choice on what cards were dealt to you. You simply didn't have a choice. And you didn't have a choice when said family members of your past decided to make a re-appearance.

Jamie was at a crime scene with Flack, Jo and Mac. She looked down at her phone. "Name is Michelle Ward. 22, goes to NYU."

Mac looked up. "Somebody wanted her dead."

"And in a bad way," Jo added.

Jamie's phone was ringing in her hand and the caller ID of Montefiore Hospital on it, made her step away. Jo looked at her and Jamie held up her finger. "Lovato," she said, answering it.

"Is this Miss Jamie Lovato?"

"Or Detective Lovato, yes. What's going on?" Jamie asked.

The woman on the other line cleared her throat. "Miss Lovato, I'm Chelsea Hill and I'm a nurse form Montefiore. You're listed as a next of kin to an Armando Lovato?"

Jamie felt the blood drain from her voice. Armando. What the fuck?! She hadn't seen, talked or heard about her brother in a good 3 years. She wanted nothing to do with him. Mario and her had washed their hands completely clean of him. She cleared her throat before speaking. "I guess I am."

"Miss Lovato, I am informing you that your brother, Armando, is currently in surgery at Montefiore Hospital," the nurse said, matter of factly.

Well, that was expected. It was Armando. "How many rounds did he take?"

"Three, ma'am. He's in critical condition. I am advising you that you call any family members to come visit him after the surgery. The next couple hours will be very critical."

Jamie didn't really know what to say. "I'll make some calls. Thanks for the heads up," she said and hung up.

She looked down at her phone. She figured she should probably call Mario and see what to do. He was always the level headed one of the bunch. But Mario and Armando had never gotten along and Mario would probably say "let him die." But she should let him know.

"Twice in one week, Jamie. Gotta be a record for you," Mario said, answering his phone.

Jamie chuckled a little. "Armando is currently in surgery at Montefiore. Three rounds. Critical. Apparently I should be calling the family and notifying them because he's not expected to make it."

"Well I am not going to the hospital," Mario said quickly. "It's his own damn fault he's in surgery. Why do you even care?"

"Because he's our brother, Mario. Do you think I should call Dad?" she asked, switching to rapid Spanish when she heard Flack approach. She glared at the other Detective and he took another step back, realizing the phone call was personal.

Mario was silent for a minute or so. "If you want, Jamie. That's your decision to make, not mine."

"Thanks for your support, Mario," she told him and hung up the phone. She really should inform her father, in Mexico, and possibly Armando's ex wife, Natalia, and his two daughters with her. Jamie supposed that was her duty as next of kin.

If she called her father, and Natalia, that was going to re-open a lot of old wounds that she really wasn't sure she wanted to re-open. She had sat on that suitcase and zipped the luggage full a long time ago. Mario still hadn't completely put it past him yet and it still affected him.

And she supposed Rafael deserved to know, even if he had just got popped. Mario and her still kept in semi contact with the wayward kid. He was a year older than Jamie and not a bad kid, just followed Armando's past. And Jamie knew that Armando always kept tabs on Rafael. She should probably find out where Rafael was being locked up at and ask his opinion if she should call their father and Armando's ex-wife. Natalia was downright scary and not someone you wanted to cross. Jamie and Natalia always got a long but Natalia and Armando and Jamie's father, did not.

She turned to Flack. "I need to go. I won't be back today. My car is parked at the precinct," she told him.

Flack looked at her suspiciously. "What's up?"

"Family emergency," Jamie swallowed.

"Dina and Amelia?" Flack asked, knowing she'd drop everything for her sister-in-law and gorgeous niece that was a dead-ringer for Jamie.

She shook her head. "No. I need to go," she said, before walking backwards. "Can you get a ride with Jo?"

Flack nodded. "Stay safe."

Ha. Stay safe. Jamie shook her head as she walked to the car. Stay safe as she was about to go visit her brother in prison. The New York traffic kept her from thinking about her fucked up family on the way to the precinct. It took all of about 2 clicks to find out where Rafael was being kept and she recognized the arresting officer too. She sighed and looked around. She kept her gun and her badge on and walked to her boss' office. "I'm just headed to visit an inmate. I might be gone all day."

He looked up at her. "Sure, Lovato. Keep your phone on."

She took that as permission and headed to where Rafael was being kept. It didn't take her long to see him, as she flashed her badge at the prison guard. She hadn't seen Rafael in 2 years and he definitely wasn't expecting her.

Rafael's look on his face was one of genuine surprise as he was lead into an interrogation style room. The guard let off his cuffs and waited outside the door as Jamie showed him her gun and badge. "Jamie," he said. "This is a surprise."

"I know. Look, I've been a pretty horrible sister and all but Armando is in surgery and is very critical," Jamie said, laying out exactly what she was here for.

"Fuck," Rafael said, looking away. "Why you here, Jamie? Not that I don't like to see you, but you don't come and chat with me to tell me our brother is in surgery."

Jamie shook her head. "Do I call Dad? The nurse said to tell family members. I took that as a 'he's not expected to make it' phone call," Jamie explained. "And Natalia?"

He closed his eyes. "I don't know, Jamie. That's your decision to make."

"That's what Mario said. Look, Rafi. You're closer to Armando. Is he close with Natalia and the girls?"

Rafael folded his hands on the table. "He's close with the younger one."

"She have a name?"

"Eva."

Jamie nodded. "Dad?"

Rafael shook his head. "You fucking bring Dad here, New York is going to turn into a gang land war. Hector Lovato back in town? No. Don't do it, Jamie. They find out Dad's back in town, they find you and you're a cop. I'll probably be shanked in here as well. Don't."

"Well, I guess that settles my decision," Jamie said and got up. "Good chatting with you Rafael."

She was about at the door before Rafael started talking. "Let me know if he makes it, okay? Just because I'm in here, doesn't mean that I don't care."

Jamie nodded and opened the door, but Rafael started speaking again and she closed the door. "And Jamie, I want to get clean. I don't want to end up in here again. I'm back with Maria and she's pregnant."

She closed her eyes. Maria was Rafael's high school sweetheart and she deserved so much better than her criminal brother and his gang ties. "I've heard that line before, Rafael."

"I mean it. I only got 4 more months left in here. You'll help me, right?" Rafael pleaded. "Get me straight?"

She turned to Rafael. "We'll talk later." She walked out the door and let the prison guard know that the conversation was over. Fuck. She didn't even know how to get ahold of Natalia. She had some contacts, but that was calling in favors she didn't really want to call in.

Jamie sighed as she walked to the car and opened it. She had taken her own car and opened the glove box, where another phone was stashed. She turned the phone on and dialed number 2 for speed dial.'

"Hola?"

"It's Jamie," she said quickly, like she was going to get caught. "I need a number."

The man laughed. "You call me after all this time and expect favors, senorita?"

"You fucking owe me to my grave. Don't bullshit me," she replied. "Natalia Lovato."

Her contact was silent for a minute. "Armando's ex wife?"

"Yeah, that'd be the one."

"Why?"

"Does it matter?"

He snorted. "If you of all people are calling for Natalia Lovato's number, it matters."

"Armando got shot. I need the number to tell the girls that Daddy isn't going to make it through the night."

"I'll text it to you."

"Thanks." She replied and hung up. Sure enough, the number came through. She closed the phone and set it in the cup holder. She'd go to the hospital and see how Armando was doing before calling Natalia and the girls. She didn't want them to fly up here for nothing.

* * *

She was sitting in the hospital chair, watching the monitors beep, keeping track of Armando's heart rate. He had survived surgery. Took 1 bullet to the chest, coming dangerously close to the heart. Another one to the lower abdomen and another to the shoulder. Jamie had spoken to the doctor and Armando was supposed to make a full recovery.

Jamie was in her own world and didn't even realize somebody came into the hospital room until she saw the coffee cup. She looked up and saw Detective Don Flack looking at her, offering the cup. She took it and studied him. "What are you doing here?"

"Sergeant said you were in a rush and I got a report come across my desk from 11th precinct about a double homicide that may become a triple homicide. Armando Lovato was listed as the third victim," Flack explained.

Jamie nodded. "Thanks for the coffee, Flack," she said as he settled into his own chair, right beside her.

"You should have told me, Lovato," Flack responded.

She shrugged. "I didn't want to drag you into family business."

"I take it that Armando and you didn't talk."

Jamie shook her head. "Nope. Had to go visit my other brother in prison today. Had to call in some favors to get his daughter's phone number so I could tell her that her father had been shot."

"You're sitting beside his bedside, Lovato. Obviously you do care about him," Flack noted.

She sighed. "Yeah. Family." She was silent and sipped her coffee and stared at the brother she had tried to forget about. She felt her hand being squeezed and Flack giving her a smile. She returned the squeeze and didn't pull her hand back away. It was nice having someone care about her and come to the hospital.

"Thanks Flack," Jamie said. "For being here."

"It's just what partners do, Lovato."


	3. Chapter 3

As Jamie returned home that night, around 2 am, it wasn't Flack standing by the entrance of her apartment, by the door. Instead, it was Hector Santos. Also known as Jamie's father. And someone she really didn't want to see, had no idea how he got here and really didn't care.

"Go to hell, Dad," Jamie replied, in plain English. She was going to speak English just to piss him off.

Hector got off the little table that Flack had once sat on, and came over to his daughter. He tried to give Jamie a hug but she moved away. "I came as soon as I hear Armando got shot."

Jamie put her purse inside but she was not prepared to let her father inside her apartment. "A phone call would have sufficed."

He shook his head. "Whoever shot him, will pay."

"The cops are taking care of this. Leave it alone. Go back to Santo Domingo. You stay around here, hell is going to break out," Jamie warned. "Leave. I'll buy the plane ticket myself. Get out of New York."

"Can't do. I got some business up here."

"Natalia will be here tomorrow," Jamie threatened. She knew that Hector and Armando's ex-wife did not get along. Natalia was Italian and had the New York Mafia in her blood. It was an odd choice for Armando, Jamie thought, to marry Natalia. Natalia had taken a lot of heat from her family for marrying into the Latino gang and she eventually broke away from her family ties. That was when Armando and Natalia decided to move to Miami but Jamie suspected that Natalia always still had the connections to the mafia here in New York. And the mafia hated Hector Santos.

Hector shrugged. "I'll deal with her."

Jamie shook her head, defiantly. "No, you will not. I will take care of Natalia. Stay far away from the hospital. And leave me the hell alone. I don't want to see you and I sure as hell don't want to be associated with you."

Her father didn't say anything as Jamie slipped into her apartment and slammed the door in his face. She locked both locks and didn't put her gun in the safe, automatically. She would be sleeping with her gun, underneath the pillow tonight and for the foreseeable future.

Jamie got out her phone and dialed the only person that she trusted at this point. She couldn't even trust Mario. And he also deserved to know if Hector was back in town. Hector had a lot of enemies in New York and if anyone knew that the boss man was back in town; his children might just become 'collateral damage.' Even Jamie as a cop, was not off limits.

"Flack," he answered the phone gruffly. It was 2 in the morning, after all.

"My father just showed up outside my apartment," Jamie said, going to her kitchen and getting out a beer.

Flack sighed. "I'm assuming that's a bad thing."

"I don't know if you put the two and two together but my father is Hector Santos," Jamie explained.

Next game a groan from the detective. "So what you're meaning is that you expect a gang land war starting up as soon as word gets out?'

"Basically. Flack, I think he has men outside my apartment," she explained, giving reason for the phone call. She felt a little guilty for calling him in the middle of the night and he left the hospital around 11 15.

"Stay put. I'll be there in 20. Don't answer the door to anyone," Flack said and hung up. Jamie didn't need to be told twice, she was on high alert.

18 minutes later, there was a knock at the door and Jamie got up from the couch and looked through the peephole. She was certain it was Flack, so she opened the door slowly, gun in hand though.

Flack stepped through the door and noticed the gun in her hand. "Gonna shoot me, Lovato?"

"Very funny," Jamie said. "You didn't have to come."

He rolled his eyes as he slipped off his shoes. "Oh yes, I did. And there's one guy outside your door, and another at the entrance of the building. Did your Dad bring all of the Dominican with him?"

Jamie shrugged. "I got no idea. All I know is that I am really hating the fact that I am Hector Santos' daughter, right about now."

"They wouldn't come after you. You're a cop, Lovato."

"My father has a lot of enemies. And if someone had a score to settle with my padre, I bet they shot Armando. And they wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in Mario, Rafael or me," Lovato explained.

Flack shook his head. "That's a bold move."

"I called up to the prison where Rafael is and told them to get him out of gen pop, because he'd be shanked in there," Lovato explained.

He nodded. "Gonna put a couple of uni's on your brother?"

She nodded. "Yeah." And then she finally noticed the bag in Flack's hand. "What's in the bag?"

"Clothes," Flack replied. "I'm staying with you, Lovato. At least until Hector Santos is on a plane back to where ever he came from."

'I'm fine, Flack," Jamie defended. "I can take care of myself. I did so for 17 months. I can manage."

Flack shook his head. "Not gonna fly, Lovato. You said it yourself. You wouldn't put it past someone to try and take out a hit on you. So consider myself your security detail," Flack explained.

"I still don't think it's necessary."

He just smiled. "Couch is fine?"

Jamie shook her head. "If you're going to stay with me, you mind as well sleep in the same bed. I promise I don't bite."

"Are you sure? I heard those Latina girls can be a little fiery."

Jamie raised an eyebrow. "I'll show you red head fiery if you don't watch it," she threatened.

"I'd love to see it," Flack replied as Jamie shut off the lights in the kitchen and living room and Flack followed her to the bedroom. He didn't expect the first time in Jamie's bedroom to be under these circumstances but hey, he was willing to take whatever he was going to get from her.


End file.
